Beginner’s Guide: 4 Things to Consider When Looking for Your Next Role
2019 is in full swing and as we approach March, I couldn’t help but think about a recent conversation I had with a candidate. As a recruiter, I regularly get messages asking for feedback on resumes, inquires on the best times to apply, and — my personal favorite — “what’s the secret sauce to get that job that I’ll love, Nit?”
I’ll start off by saying that if you’re looking for that perfect job, it might not exist. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t find a job that you’ll love. Here are a few tips and tricks that could help you find that next great opportunity.
1. Make a checklist of what is most important to you in your next role. You don’t settle in other aspects of your life like relationships, your happiness, or your health, so why should you settle when it comes to your career? You spend most of your time at work so make it count! Your happiness depends on it. Start by creating a checklist outlining what you want out of your next role. It could be more money or work-life balance, or growth and learning opportunities, to name a few. Now that you’ve highlighted what you want, identify what you don’t want, as these are just as important. Keep this list handy and reference it as you go through the interview process.
2. Think about different industries. Now that you’ve made your job “wishlist”, it’s time to think about the industry you want to work in. You’re in luck! There are a handful of different options to choose from — What a time to be alive! Maybe you want to be in banking or medical, or the hot new tech startup scene. Each bring their own unique opportunities and challenges so map these back to your checklist to see if there is a match. For example, if you want growth and learning opportunities, you might choose to work at an early stage startup where you’ll get to work on a smaller team and be scrappy, learning to work with limited resources. However, the trade-off could be that it might not pay as well as a role in a more established company such as at a bank. Really think long and hard about what you would be most interested in.
3.Quality over quantity. You’ve made your checklist and you’ve thought about what industry you want to work in. Off to the races, right?! Wrong. In contrary to what most people think, it’s not always a number games and the spray and pray method just doesn’t work! Take your time and actually pick 5–10 companies that you’re really interested in and get to know them. Do your homework, check their company website especially the pages outlining their core values. This is a great place to start to see if your values align with theirs. This is half the battle! Another great place to check out a company is on their Instagram or social media pages because these channels usually show the human side of the company.
A word of advice, also look into what the negatives are as everything is not always what it seems like on the surface. Consider reviews on Glassdoor but remember to take them with a grain of salt as there is usually only two spectrums to choose from. Employees only write reviews when they are super happy or super pissed. When factoring in glassdoor reviews,look for trends and common themes of compliments or complaints.
4. Networking rules! One of the most important things to do when looking for that dream role is to get out there and network. Studies have shown that job seekers, even the most active ones, have found their next job not by applying but by finding the right connections. Networking makes the success rate for landing that dream job that much higher. Again, take the same approach of quality over quantity. Start by looking at your list of companies that you want to work at, then go on Linkedin and look at people in similar roles or a potential manager that you could be reporting to. The goal is not to connect with as many people as possible. By spamming an entire company you’ll come across as desperate as opposed to proactive. It really comes down to connecting with a few well-connected people who you’re able to build a relationship with. Start with a coffee or quick chat and be mindful of their time. Once you have built some rapport, ask them to point you in the right direction. If they are comfortable enough then you can have them vouch for you with a referral.
To end off, to my job seekers out there, try these tips out and remember your happiness is the most important thing! I leave you with this quote:
“ Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do”-. Steve Jobs.
